Chapter 141: A Lie
As he entered the hotel’s conference room, the first thing he noticed was her—sitting there, poised, staring with an impersonal expression at the reporters who were slowly taking their seats. She looked untouched by the noise around her, almost distant, as if none of it concerned her.
Adam moved quietly, choosing a seat in the middle of the room, making sure he was directly in her line of sight. If she looked ahead, even casually, she would see him. He tried to guess what she was thinking, but her face gave nothing away.
His hand clenched against his knee. Was she going to side with Saira in this ridiculous crusade to destroy him? Was she going to stand there and say the things that could end everything?
He knew she didn’t care about the inheritance his grandmother had left behind—Melanie had never been motivated by money. Which meant there was nothing holding her back. Nothing keeping her from turning her back on him if she believed even a fraction of what they were saying. While the seats next to her were empty, he could not help but wonder where the others were.
Just then, she looked up—straight at him. Adam stiffened, his breath catching for a moment as their eyes met. There was no sign of surprise, no flicker of recognition. Just that same composed, unreadable expression she’d worn since he walked in. Did she know it was him behind the mask? Was she pretending not to notice—or had she truly not seen through the carefully chosen disguise?
Then, as though he didn’t exist at all, her gaze turned away.
Adam watched as she turned her head away towards the growing commotion at the far end of the banquet hall, where a flurry of camera shutters had burst into a frenzy. The flash of bulbs bounced off the polished walls and chandeliers as two familiar figures entered—Saira and Robert arrived.
His eyes narrowed as he watched the older man reaching in front and watching casually. Robert Collins then gave a nod to everyone before helping Saira take a seat and he walked forward, adjusting the microphone slightly. He didn’t speak at once, instead surveyed the crowd as if waiting for complete silence. As expected, it worked and everyone quickly quietened down.
Adam cocked his head at that. This time his grandfather was not going to play the good huy and defend him? It seemed the old man was finally ready to drop all pretenses. That is good too. Later, when he played his cards, Robert Collins’ would not be able to try and play the old man card.